Multicopy attachment



April 2, 1929- c. H. THORNBLADE MULTICOPY ATTACHMENT Filed April 12, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet m H W April 2, 1929- c. H. THORNBLADE 1,707,744

MULTICOPY ATTACHMENT Filed April 12, 1927 2 Sheets-Shem 2 I 5 N K? I 5? z T Q N nq P Fl :5 3i

I H gwvento o C a I go Thornblade Patented Apr. 2, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' cant HUGO rnoanamnn, or SEATTLE, wasnmeron, ASSIGNOR ro ORIGINAL corrwarren 00., A coaroaa'rion or wasnmeron.

MULTICOPY ATTACHMENT.

Application filed April 12, 1927. Serial No. 183,062.

My invention relates to typewriters and consists of an attachment designed for application to machines already built, whereby additional type ribbons may be placed between the aper sheets so that more than one cop may made at one time, all originals in t e sense that all are written in ink, as is the first copy when carbon sheets are emplo ed in the customary practice.

'I he object of my invention is to substitute inked ribbons for the carbon papers, thereby producin several ink-written copies, instead of one ink copy and carbon copies, and to do this by a device which may be readily applied 7 to a typewriter when its use isdeslred, and

detached therefrom when its use is not desired. 1

It consists of the special constructions which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and which will be hereinafter described and then specifically defined by the claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have il lustrated my invention embodied in the type of construction as first designed'by me.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the carriage mechanism of a standard make of typewriter, my attachment being in place and shown in a cross section taken on a plane just inside the inner face of one of the wings of the case or frame, or uponthe plane indicated by the broken lines 1, 1 of Figure 3. i

Figure 2 is a section taken on a transverse plane at an point between the wings.

Figure 3 1s a plan view of the device upon a typewriter carriage, one wing case being in section, together with a small part of the cross connecting shafts and the connecting frame section.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of one wing frame or casing.

My device has been designed as an attachment which may be readily put in place and removed, and when in-plaee will enable-the insertion of one or more inked ribbons be tween the sheets of paper which have been .together inserted in the typewriter ready for writing thereon.

As a support for the device, a base or 'journal plate 1 is secured at each end of the typewriter carriage. These extend upwardly, and toward the rear of the typewriter carria e are each provided with a journal or ana ogous means for receiving and holding the main frame in accurate position relative tothe writing platen.

The means illustrated consists of a finger 10 having an'arcuate inner edge of materially less than 180, end edge 11, this acting in conjunction with a similarly formed finger carried by a plate 12 which is pivoted at 13 upon plate 1, and has its finger 12 held toward the first finger 10 by a spring, as 14. A plate 15 is shown as secured in s aced relation to plate 1, the plate 12 lying etween and being supported y these two plates.

The pivoted frame which carries the ink ribbons contains two wings or flat cases 20,

and a member connecting the rear parts of said wings, herein shown as a tube 2. J ournaled in the connecting section 2 is a shaft for each extra inking ribbon used. As two such ribbons are shown in the drawings, two

vshafts 3 and 30 are shown, these being tubes,

one within the other, and both within the tube 2 of the frame.

Each shaft 3 and 30 carries an operating arm 4 and 40, respectively, these extending forwardly within the hollow wing casing 20. One face of each wing case would be made removable, or otherwise constructed to make access to its interior easy. Each wing section has guide ways 21, 22, which, together with guide rods 23, support and guide the ribbon holding fingers 5 and 50. These fingers'and guides are so constructed and positioned that the ink ribbons '52 carried by the lower ends of saidfingers will be positioned close in front of the printing line of the platen and back of the usual typewriter ribbon, when the fingers are in their lowermostfposition. As illustrated, these fingers are straight, as are also the guides 21 and 22, although it is evident that the character and position of the guides and the fingers might be modified, if

the secured the essential feature .of placing an holding the ribbons in proper printing with an outwardly inclined position and, when raised, held said ribbons 2 out of the way.

The lower ends of the fingers 5 and 50 are provided with means for securing the ends of the ribbons 52. This may simply consist of a slight hook tip 55 which entersloops 56 formed upon the ends of the ribbons, provide a resilient holding effect acting to eep these ribbons taut, a spring, as 5 may be provided to act upon each finger. E0 prevent swinging of the fingers 5 and 50, when the ribbons are removed, so as to engage the hook with any part of the machine, a spacing foot. 54 is provided .for each ribbonhol'ding finger, these engaging the face of the wing cases 20. Y

Each arm 4 and 40 is operatively connected with its respective finger 5 or 50, so that when the shaft to which they are secured is oscillated, the arms 4 and 40 will swing and cause the ribbon-holding fingers to be reciprocated. As shown, this is done by employing a pin or finger, as 57, 58, carried by the ribbonholding finger, and slottedends 41, 42 on the arms. Each arm 4 and 40 at one end of the device h'as-a manually engageable finger 43 or 44 projecting through slots 23 in the outer face of the wing casing 20, whereby the shafts 3 and 30 may be rocked, thereby shifting the ribbon-holding fingers into and out of operating posit-ion. T

The bearing brackets 1 are to be fixed to the ends of the carriage frame. The rest of the device is mounted upon a. self-contained frame so that it may be removed bodily when not wanted. In applying it to the'carriage, the tubular member 2 of the frame is forced between the fixed and movable fingers 10 and 12, the member 12 yielding backward, and on its return holding the frame in exactposition. It may be removed by lifting out from between the fingers.

By the use of this device, an ordinary typewriter may be equipped to make three or more ink copies at one time, which, for certain purposes, as for making papers of record, may

be of great advantage. The applicationof the device to a typewriter does not interfere with its use in making carbon copies by the use of carbon paper sheets.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A duplicator for typewriters, comPzising two vertically-disposedgeases and-Ta tubular member connecting the rear ends of said cases to form a rigid frameholding said cases over opposite'ends of the typewriter carriage, and forming a pivot axis upon which the cases may be swung, a shaft membcr ournaled Within said tubular frame member, an arm fixed to each end of said shaft and lying within said cases, vertically-extending fingers having sup orting and guiding engagement upon the orward ends of said cases and having operative engagement with said arms, and a writing ribbon extending between fingers of opposite ends and adapted to be held in front of the printing line of the typewriter platen when the fingers are in lowered position.

\ 2. A duplicator attachment for typewriters, comprising a frame composed of a tubular connecting bar sections and wing sections extending laterally from the ends of said connectingsection, said frame being adapted to be pivotally mounted by said connecting section upon the rear part of a typewriter carriage with the wing sections at each end of the carriage, a shaft journaled in thesaid tubular connecting bar, an arm secured to each end of said shaft, fingers having vertical guide supports at the forward part of said wing'sections and adapted to be projected downwardly, said fingers having operative engagement with the arms to be thereby re-.

said ribbon frame being adapted to be pivotally engageable with and disengageable fromsaid journal clamping members, thereby to easily attach and remove said attachment. Signed at Seattle, King County, Washington, this 25th day of March, 1927. I r

" CARL HUGO THORNBLADE. 

